EP REVIEW: Nightmares of The West – Strike Anywhere
You would find it hard to believe that STRIKE ANYWHERE’s latest EP, Nightmares of the West, is their first offering in 10 years as the lyrical content, filled with leftist politically charged angst is still as relevant and poignant today as it was a decade ago. 2020 especially is a year of hardships, trials and tribulations and loss that has ultimately fuelled a burning desire for change and an urge to seek answers for a plethora of injustice spread throughout the world.
Proceedings begin with the uplifting melodies of Documentary which mixes its pop-punk bounce with its fist-pumping heroism and chants of ‘let’s thrown down now’. STRIKE ANYWHERE hits you from the first notes with their familiar but comforting sound.
Dress The Wounds is frantic and hard-hitting and is politically charged. While we’ve heard these lyrics all too many times before, they are still relevant to today. It boasts a catchy, sing-a-long chorus that will be a crowd favourite when we eventually see the return of live shows. While listening to The Bells, you wonder if the guys had foreseen the future when they spit the line ‘no one remembers it all until monuments fall’, which couldn’t be more on the money with the state of the world as it stands. It’s another anthemic gem to add to their repertoire and blends nicely into EP highlight Frontier Glitch which showcases the band at their best. It’s short, sharp and hits like a train.
Imperial Waste slows things down for a moment and while it’s a nice change of pace it’s possibly the most forgettable track on the EP. it’s very gang vocal-heavy and the message can sometimes get lost in the maelstrom. Heartbreakingly, Opener is an ode to drummer Marc ‘Mates’ Maitland who tragically took his own life in 2019. It’s a cover of a BLOCKO track who Marc was a part of in previous years. It stands as a fitting tribute to Marc that not only deals with the loss of loved ones but also to help to heal from such losses.
The EP comes to a close with We Make The Road By Walking, which while short, feels like a track of two halves. The first half being a lot faster paced and urgent which then breaks down into a huge refrain escorted by blasting guitars and pounding drums. This again shows the band’s ability to mix power and melody together seamlessly to create a great blend of punk rock and hardcore.
STRIKE ANYWHERE, like their genre counterparts, ANTI-FLAG and RISE AGAINST are capable of creating melodic yet powerful hardcore punk rock anthems and Nightmares of the West is another set of well-crafted tracks that add to their already notable back catalogue. While there’s nothing new here and you get exactly what you’d imagine from a STRIKE ANYWHERE record, they are still bringing the fire that they had from many years ago and their music will still act as a catharsis to many still battling through their own nightmares.
Rating: 8/10
Nightmares Of The West is out now via Pure Noise Records.
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